This Week in Crusader Football: Valpo closes out Pioneer Football League play this Saturday afternoon as the Crusaders travel to Dayton, Ohio to battle the Dayton Flyers. This week's contest also marks the final road game of the season for the Brown and Gold.

On the Air: For the second straight season, the Valpo Sports Radio Network will be home to all 11 Crusader football games in 2006. The Valpo Sports Radio Network consists of WVUR (95.1-FM, Valparaiso), WAKE (1500-AM, Valparaiso), Relevant Radio 1270-AM (WWCA, Gary), and WE-FM (95.9-FM, Michigan City). Todd Ickow will handle all the play-by-play with Josh Weinhold adding the color commentary.

Series Notes: Dayton leads the all-time series with the Crusaders 13-2 dating back to the 1988 season. The Flyers hold a 7-1 advantage all-time in Dayton, including last season's 52-7 victory over Valpo. Valpo's last win in the series came in 2003, a 33-28 triumph on the road. The Crusaders also posted a 16-15 win at Brown Field during the 2000 campaign.

Scouting Dayton: The Flyers enter the weekend still looking for their first victory in PFL play following last week's 21-9 loss at home against Drake. Dayton opened the season with three straight non-conference victories, but has dropped five straight games since then. Quarterback Kevin Hoyng has thrown for 1,694 yards on the season, completing 112-of-190 pass attempts. Nick Ruhe and Carleton McFadgen have been his favorite targets, combining for seven touchdown passes. Ruhe has 830 total yards, a 103.8 yard average which leads the PFL, while McFadgen averages 87.9 yards per game. Defensively, Brian Kelly leads Dayton and the PFL with 82 tackles on the year.

Last Week: Davidson jumped out to a 34-0 lead early in the third quarter and held on for a 48-14 victory over Valpo at Brown Field. Nicholas Henton caught a 15-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Doerffler in the third quarter while Steve Ogden hauled in a 66-yard pass for a score in the fourth quarter. Ogden finished the game with 118 yards receiving while Doerffler threw for 226 yards. Defensively, Charlie Thompson registered nine tackles while Sean Dillon brought down eight runners.

Ogden Among Division I-AA Receiving Leaders: Steve Ogden remains among the nation's best receivers, ranking seventh in all of I-AA in receiving yards per game. The redshirt-sophomore has 866 total yards, a 96.2 yard per game average.

Krieg Nearly Automatic on PAT Attempts: For a redshirt-freshman, Mike Krieg has been nearly perfect on point after touchdown attempts this season. He is 24-of-25 on the season, and leads the PFL in PAT percentage on the year. His 24 makes are one shy of the league lead.

Ogden Among Career Leaders in Receiving: Steve Ogden has already become one of the top receivers in school history. The redshirt-sophomore has 1,311 receiving yards, moving past Matt Junia (1998-1999) for tenth place on Valpo's all-time list. Ogden trails Greg Tatarek (1986-1989) by 191 yards for ninth place on the school charts.

Doerffler Has Best Passing Season Yet: Ryan Doerffler has thrown for a career high 1,742 yards during the first nine games of the season, surpassing his total of just over 1,400 yards last year. The redshirt-junior also has a career-best 12 touchdown tosses this year.

Using All the Passing Options: Valpo has 11 different players with receptions on the season, including five Crusaders with 10 or more catches.

Riker Leads PFL Linemen in Tackles: Jimmy Riker continues to lead all Pioneer Football League defensive linemen in tackles, bringing down 42 ball carriers. The senior also has 5.5 tackles for loss and three pass breakups on the year to go along with two fumble recoveries.

Blocking Machine: Doug Howard blocked an extra point attempt last Saturday against Davidson, the second blocked kick for the Crusaders this year. For the junior, it is his third block of his career, having rejected two kicks last season.

Third Down Success: Valparaiso has had relative success on third down conversion attempts this season. The Crusaders have converted 40.5% (49-of-121) of their opportunities.

Koepke Leads the Team in Tackles: Ryan Koepke has hauled down 58 ball carriers this season for the Brown and Gold. He also has four tackles for loss as well as a forced fumble.

Dillon and Thompson Lead Valpo Against Davidson: Charlie Thompson had a team-high nine tackles while Sean Dillon added eight for the Crusaders against the Wildcats last Saturday. Dillon now has 49 on the season, including 4.0 for loss, while Thompson is third on the team with 45 stops.